BeestonMick

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Posts posted by BeestonMick

  1. I borrowed an acoustic from a mate but it wasn't long before I bought my own. I bought a cheap Strat copy and a practice amp second hand but they didn't last long. I had just had a few bob from an old pension scheme so I spent it on guitars, at least it keeps it out of the sight of the tax man :biggrin:

    From what I can tell my investment has gone up in price, especially the LP Standard, so it's as good as an ISA. My son and grandson will have a couple of nice guitars when I pop off.

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  2. After a long break from playing I took up guitar again three years ago. I'm a bit restricted where I live to how loud I can play but it's good in the summer 'cos we all go in my garage and let rip. It's nice to hear the Marshall work.

    I own 2 x Gibson Les Paul's, a special and a Standard and 2 Fenders, a Graham Coxon signature Telecaster and a Fender American Deluxe HSS Stratocaster. For sound I use a Line-6 30 watt modelling amp and a Marshall Valvestate 80. I have lots of pedals including my favourite Cray Baby.

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  3. That kind of stuff used to happen all the time, very funny n'all. The older blokes used to tell us that during WWII during the blackout naughty marker outs who found anyone sleeping would paint their heels with whitewash. This little prank got taken a step further. Anybody found kipping with white heels had bits of metal tack welded to their boots (a lot of work boots then had hefty steel heels and toe caps) some even got welded to their benches! Woe betide anyone who dozes off :-)

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  4. I feel like having a rigley right now!!

    George Perkins, one of the electricians, a short stumpy bloke, decided he needed some three core cable at home. He wrapped all fifty yards around his upper body, he looked like a weeble. He then collapsed through lack of breath just outside the gates and was rushed to hospital. We did ask him if they had to surgically remove the cable.

    The other classic one was the fuse wire for the Birlec furnaces. The wire was made of precious metals including gold and platinum. The wire came in small rolls not disimilar to a roll of solder. One guy, not sure who it was, was knicking any of the wire he could find. He'd then go to the fence and hurl it over in to the canal (canal/river? I can't remember) Later him and his boy would go down there, the boy would dive for the wire and off they'd go. He did get caught in the end but what the final outcome was I don't know.

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  5. It certainly wasn't weak orange juice when I was a lad, for some unknown reason I got away with having to crawl up into the gods.

    In the 60's there were always a couple of grinders in the grinding bay set up for Lambretta cylinders and heads. To be fair, there was never any restrictions with us for such things.We were allowed projects, I made a 50W x 50W stereo amplifier and an electronic ignition for my car, I still have the amplifier, unused but it's still there, Tommy Tedds bought the car. At that time they were using the forge presses to smash up experimental electronic equipment presusmably from Old Dalby. We used to bribe the lorry drivers to turn away for five. We used to dive in to the skips and swipe whatever was useful - we were probably the first re-cyclers :-)

    Free electronic parts in the 1960's was a godsend.

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  6. @TRICKYMICKY: When I was apprentice we did one year in the apprentice shop (draw file draw file draw file zzzz) then we went to wherever for the last three years. It was good to get rid of Scrappit and take the piss when you were sent in as an electrician to repair his hair dryer. A lot of the guys I worked with would have still been there when you were there. I'll PM you some names as they might not like them plastered all over here. Yes, they had there own deal on 14 bay, that's why we all wanted to get in there, nobody could see you doing homers.

    Hmm, the medical centre. I had a rather "unfortunate" accident outside of work when I was no more than 17. I went to see the nurse rather than going to A&E. To say I was embarrassed was very much an understatement, I didn't flash the crown jewels to everybody. I though she was shocked because she was crying but then I realised she was amused.

    She fixed me up though.

    @PeverilPeril: Go for it! I made inside calipers, outside calipers, jack bodies, some brass valves for the steam engine they were building but could never get the hang of welding although my soldering, lead and silver, was and still is, the dogs.

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  7. He worked in the Maintenance section.

    About what year was that? I lounged around the electrical department from 1967-1972. I remember when I first started working with the sparkies our 'compound' was on the right hand wall as you walked in the main door of the North shop. They used to feed a huge manky cat that then repaid them by slashing all over the option. Then they moved maintenance to where the rifle range was.

    Edit: I just remembered that the sign over the rifle range which said "Rifle Range", strangely enough, was often edited by the apprentices. The best they could come up with was "tRifleoRange", which I thought was a bit childish! :laugh:

  8. Yep, I saw Led Zeppelin, Juicy Lucy, Uriah Heep (I think) Canned Heat and lot's more at the Boat. As I recall it was rock at the Boat, soul at the Union and crap at the Brit (pop stuff)

    My favourite was the Beach though, always there on a Friday and Sunday. The Dungeon was good as well especially the all nighters.